Vending-machine



(No Model.)

A. W. ROOVERS. VENDING MACHINE.

No. 449,749. Patented Apr. 7. 1891.

ITN SSES: f e2 h IINVENITUH 47M, %/;3,

ATTORNEY? NrTE STATES PATENT FFICE.

ALFRED \V. ROOVERS, OF BROOKLYN, NEIV YORK.

VENDING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 449,749, dated April '7, 1891.

Application filed October 18, 1389- Serial No. 327,45 '7. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALFRED W. Roovnns, of Brooklyn,Kings county, and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Vending-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My improvement relates to vending-machines, or, in other words, to machines which upon the introduction of a coin of a certain denomination will deliver an article or a package in exchange.

The object of the improvement is to prevent such a machine from being made to deliver an article or package by the introduction of some object other than the proper COlIl.

I will describe a vending-machineembodying my improvement, and then point out the novel features in the claims.

I desire it to be understood that some features of my improvement are applicable to other coin-operated machines, and to explain that by the term coin-operated machines I mean to include all machines operated or controlled by coins.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a machine embodying my improvement. Fig. 2 is a front view thereof. Fig. 3 is a partial plan and partial horizontal section. Fig. 4: is a sectional elevation upon a larger scale. Fig. 5 is a top view of a slideway comprised in the machine. Fig. 6 is a top view of a slide workingin said slideway.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures.

A designates a box or chamber into which the articles or packages to be vended are intended to be discharged. This chamber may be of any desired shape. In the present instance it is of rectangular form having its greatest lengthin a vertical plane and having arranged at the lower end a curved chute B.

O designates a chamberfor the articles or packages to be vended. As here shown, it is of rectangular form having its greatest extension or length in a vertical plane. In it are arranged a number of articles or packages D, superposed one upon the other. The lower portion of this chamber 0 is open at the front, and at the rear, just above the bottom 0, it has an opening 0' of sufficient size to permit of the passage of one of the articles or packages to be vended. It is intended that the lowest article or package shall be pushed out beneath the others through this opening 0, and shall when ejected fall upon the chute B and be discharged by the chute where it can be reached by any one entitled to receive it. When the lowest article or package is thus removed from the chamber 0, those which were before arranged above it will descend until the lowest reaches the bottom 0.

E designates a slide, having in the present instance two functions. One of its functions is to push or eject an article or package from the chamber 0. The other is to carry a coin into a receptacle G, designed to receive it. This slide moves in a slideway H, shown as extending horizontally over aplatform I and into achamber J, which is located forward of the chamber 0 and above the coin-receptacle G. This slideway is shown as consisting of a plate having its edges bent upward and then horizontally toward each other to embrace the edges of the slide E. In the slideway over the coin-receptacle G and below the chamber J there is an opening h. Above this opening a movable part consisting of an arm or lever K is arranged. At one end this arm or lever is pivotally connected to a fixed support extending from one side of the chamber J. In the present instance it is connected by a screw 7; toablock extending from one side of the said chamber. As here shown, it is the forward end which is so pivoted. The other end terminates in a downward extension or hook it, and between its ends, and as here shown but a short distance from its forward end, it has a downward projection 75?, which is furnished with an anti friction roller [0. The arm or lever has a tendency to move downwardly, so that its projections 7t" 7& and roller Z6 will descend into the opening h of the slideway. This tendency is preferably increased by a spring K,

shown as attached to the top of the chamber J and impinging upon the upper edge of the lever. Although I have spoken of but one of these levers, I have shown two such levers K similarly formed, supported, and actuated.

The slide E is intended to maintain the lever or levers K in their normal or elevated positions, excepting when an article or pack- IOC age should be delivered. The slide, as here shown, consists of a llat strip of about the thickness of the coin which is to be the price of the articles or packages with which the machine is supplied. It may advantageously be made of metal. In it is a long opening 6, here shown as made in the form of a notch at its inner end. is also has an opening 6 of about the size of the coin for which the machine is intended. The distance between the openings 6 e corresponds approximately to the distance between the projections on the lever K. It the slide is pushed inward without a coin of proper dimension in the hole 0 it cannot be moved inward sufficiently far to eject one of the articles or packages from the chamber 0, because as soon as the hole e comes opposite the projection 7.1 of the lever or levers K the lever or levers will swing dowmvardly, so that the projections 7.; at the rear ends will drop behind the forward end of the opening 6 and lock the slide, thereby preventing its being moved inward any farther. The lever or levers K are intended to be moved downwardly'with such force that if any soft material-such, for instance, as lead, wood, or card-board-shonld be placed in the hole 6 the same will be bent when the projection 7; of the lever K acts upon it. The bending of the material inserted in the hole 6 will permit the projection 7V" to drop in front of the rear end of the opening 6 of the slide E to block it against further inward movement.

It may be advantageous to provide in the upper surface of the slide E a groove (2 for the wheel 76 of each lever K.

The slide E may be provided with a handpiece 6" to afford facility for nianipulatingit. The slide may be secured in the slideway by any suitable means-as, for instance, by pins arranged vertically in its rear portion in such position as to contact with the rear end of the slideway when the slide is pulled forward as far as it should be.

In the platform I there is shown a hole 6. This is of advantage, because it enables anything which is inserted into the hole 6 of the slide to be pushed upwardly out of the slide, providing the slide is adjusted so that its hole 6 will be above the hole To insure the deposit of coins in the coinreceptacle, I combine with the slide E a lever L, pivoted to a fulcrum Z, secured to one of the sides or walls of the chamber J. This lever is curved longitudinally, so as to be approximately an arc of a circle. It is fulerumed between the ends and so arranged that when the portion of the slide E which is between the opening 6 and the opening 6 comes under the rear end of the lever L the forward end of such lever will be depressed and will force out of the hole 6 anything which may be contained therein, so that the same will drop into the coin-receptacle. The rear arm or end of this lever may be made heavier than the forward end, and where this is not the case there will be a spring combined with the rear end of the lever to depress it. I have shown for this purpose a spring l\I, attached to the top of the chamber-J. It des1rable,the rear arm of the lever, even when such a spring is used, may be made heavier than the forward end. Obviously the slide E is a 00111- carrier as well as an ejector of the articles or packages which are to be vended. A

\Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. In a coin-operated machine, the combination of a coin-carrier having a hole for a coin, a chamber into which that part of the coin-carrier which is provided with said hole may be moved, and a lever having a pro ection constructed to be capable of moving into the coin-hole of the coin-carrier and an other projection constructed to block the coincarrier after the first-mentioned projection shall have descended within the coin-hole, substantially as specified.

2. In a coin-operated machine, the combination of a coin-carrier having a hole for a coin and a lever having a projection constructed to enter the coin-hole and having another projection for blocking the coin-carrier, substantially as specified.

In a coin-operated machine, the combination of a coin carrier having extended through it a hole for a coin, a coin-receptacle, a chamber above the coin-receptacle, and a lever located in said chamber and constructed to block the coin-carrier and having a projection capable of entering the hole in the coin-carrier and a coin-ejector, substantially as specified.

El:- In a coin'operated machine, the combination of a coin-carrier E, having a hole 6 a lever K, having projections 79 and a chamber J, substantially as specified.

5. In a coin-operated machine, the combination of a coin-carrier and an ejector for articles or packages vended, and a lever constructed to descend into the coin-recess of the coin-carrier and engaging with another portion of the carrier to block the coin carrier and ejector, substantially as specified.

6. 111 a coin-operated machine, the combination of the slide E, having holes c 6 and a lever K, substantially as specified.

7. In a coin-operated machine, the combination of the slide E, having holes e e and a lever K, provided with projections 7t" and a wheel 7o, pivoted to the projection 71: substantially as specified.

8. In a coin-operated machine, the combination of the slide E, having holes 0' e, a lever K, and a spring for operating said lever, substantially as specified.

S). In a coin-operated machine, the combination of a'slide provided with a hole and an opening, one constitutinga coin-recess, and a lever L, operated by the slide and serving to eject a coin, substantially as specified.

10. In a coin-operated machine, the combination of a slide provided with a hole and an IIS two projections, the distance between said projections corresponding approximately to [0 the distance between the openings in the 00111- carrier, substantially as specified.

ALFRED W. ROOVERS. Witnesses:

S. O. EDMoNDs, WM. M. ILIFF. 

